Dale Arden

Dale is Flash Gordon's constant companion in his adventures, as well as his one true love. The emperor Ming the Merciless is immediately attracted to her and the early strips were essentially based on Flash's heroic efforts to rescue Dale from Ming's many attempts to marry her.{{cite book|editor1-first=Guy|editor1-last=Haley|chapter=Flash Gordon|title=Sci-Fi Chronicles: A Visual History of the Galaxy's Greatest Science Fiction|publisher=Firefly Books|location=Richmond Hill, Ontario|date=2014|isbn=9781770852648|pages=69–70}}

Filmation's Flash Gordon's Bible portrayed Dale Arden as follows:

{{blockquote|All errant knights have their true love, and in Flash's case it's Dale – beautiful, independent and capable. In most circumstances, Dale is well able to take care of herself and is an ideal companion for the adventuring Flash. Which is not to say that she is unfeminine. Ming was only the first of Mongo's heroic – though, in his case, absolutely evil – rulers who have sought Dale Arden as their Queen. Dale is sensitive, warm and compassionate – traits which occasionally lead her to trust the wrong person. Where Flash would gladly lay down his life to save her, Dale would do likewise. And the two of them, united, can face any peril that Mongo has to offer.}}

Dale Arden is introduced in the first Flash Gordon story, July 7, 1934, as simply "a passenger" on the plane Flash is flying on. After the plane is hit by a meteor, Flash saves Dale by parachuting to the ground. The two are then abducted by Dr. Zarkov, who takes them on his rocket to the planet Mongo. In the 1930s comic strips, Dale often comes into conflict with other female characters who desire Flash romantically (such as Princess Aura and Queen Azura).

In the 2011 Dynamite Comics Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist, Dale Arden is a cartographer and researcher for the State Department in 1934.{{cite comic|writer=Eric S. Trautmann, Daniel Indro, Ron Adrian|title=Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist|publisher=Dynamite Entertainment|location=Mt. Laurel, New Jersey|date=2012|id={{ISBN|9781606903339}}}} As in Raymond's original story, she and Flash are abducted by Zarkov and brought to Mongo. In the later Dynamite Comics Flash Gordon series, Dale Arden is a modern-day science journalist with a special interest in the space program, as well as a feminist.{{cite comic|writer=Jeff Parker, Evan Shaner and Jordie Bellaire|title=Flash Gordon|issue=1|publisher=Dynamite Entertainment|location=Mt. Laurel, New Jersey|date=2012}} She travels with Zarkov and Flash on the former's Z-Plane to Mongo.

• Dale's broadcast debut was in a Hearst Radio series that ran from April to October 1935. The actress who played her is unknown.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=%22Flash+Gordon,+juvenile+science+fiction%22&pg=PA255 |last=Dunning |first=John |author-link=John Dunning (detective fiction author) |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio| section=Flash Gordon| date=1998| publisher=Oxford University Press| location=New York, NY| isbn=978-0-19-507678-3| pages=255–256 | edition=Revised| access-date=2019-09-26}}
• Dale was first portrayed on film by Jean Rogers in the film serials Flash Gordon (1936) and Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938).{{cite book |first=William R.|last=Cline|title=In the Nick of Time: Motion Picture Sound Serials |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina|year=1997 |page= 94|isbn=0-7864-0471-X |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rE6_olMS_2oC&dq=%22Dale+Arden%22&pg=PA94}}
• In the 1940 serial, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, Dale was portrayed by Carol Hughes.{{cite book |first=Harry|last=Medved|title=The Hollywood Guide to the Great Outdoors: Southern California: Walks, Hikes, and Adventures that Put You into the Locations of Your Favorite Films |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York City|date=2004 |page= 129|isbn=0-312-30856-6 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=uj-kOGg81MEC&dq=%22Dale+Arden%22+%22carol+hughes&pg=PA129}}
• Irene Champlin took the role for the 1954 Flash Gordon television series.{{cite book |first1=Gil|last1=Kane |first2=Michael|last2=Eury |first3=Murphy|last3=Anderson |title=Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |year=2002 |page= 73|isbn=1-893905-17-9 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eC5mPdEtOdoC&q=%22Dale+Arden%22+%22Irene+Champlin%22&pg=PA73}} Champlin was praised for transforming Arden from the typical damsel in distress of the serials into a trained scientist and a "quick thinker who often saved [Flash and Zarkov] from perishing".Terrace, p. 46
• Meltem Mete portrayed in Dale in the 1967 Turkish film Flash Gordon's Battle in Space (AKA Baytekin – Fezada Çarpisanlar in Turkish). Here Dale is depicted as a spy who helps Flash.{{cite book|first1=Giovanni|last1=Scognamillo|first2=Metin|last2=Demirhan|title=Fantastik Türk sineması|publisher=Kabalcı Yayınevi|location=İstanbul, Turkey|date=1999|isbn=975824020X|page=37|language=tr}}
• Diane Pershing provided the voice for the character in the 1979 Filmation series.{{cite book |author=Terrace, Vincent |title=Crime fighting heroes of television: over 10, 000 facts from 151 shows, 1949–2001 |publisher=McFarland & Co. |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |year=2002 |page= 68|isbn=0-7864-1395-6 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IRog-mvSMR8C&q=%22Dale+Arden%22+%22Diane+Pershing%22&pg=PA68}} Filmation's version of the character was a newspaper reporter.{{cite book|first=George W.|last=Woolery|title=Animated TV specials: the complete directory to the first twenty-five years, 1962-1987|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Metuchen, New Jersey|date=1989|isbn=9780810821989|page=[https://archive.org/details/animatedtvspecia0000wool/page/193 193]|url=https://archive.org/details/animatedtvspecia0000wool/page/193}}
• In 1980, Dale was portrayed by Melody Anderson in the film Flash Gordon, produced by Dino De Laurentiis.{{cite book |first=Julius|last=Marshall|title=Action!: the Action Movie A-Z |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington, Indiana |date=1996 |page= 81|isbn=0-253-21091-7 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pO17mTyuA0IC&dq=%22Melody+Anderson%22+%22dale+arden%22&pg=PA81}} In this version of the story, Dale is a New York travel agent.{{cite book|first1=Roy|last1=Kinnard|first2=Tony|last2=Crnkovich|first3=R.J.|last3=Vitone|title=The Flash Gordon serials, 1936-1940: a heavily illustrated guide|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|date=2008|isbn=9780786434701|pages=196–8}}
• During the course of the 1980s Marvel animated series Defenders of the Earth, Dale is captured and killed by Ming, but her consciousness is left trapped inside a crystal Flash uses to power the Defenders' base on Earth, Monitor. Dale is reborn as the heart of the base, Dynak. This version has blonde hair rather than black.
• Lexa Doig voiced Dale in the 1996 animated series Flash Gordon.
• Gina Holden portrayed Dale in the 2007 Flash Gordon television series.{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/arts/television/10flas.html?ex=1344398400&en=270623a68c9ea808&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|title=A Spaceman's Latest Tour of Duty on the Planet Mongo|date= August 8, 2007|work=The New York Times|location=London, England|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170810133041/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/arts/television/10flas.html?ex=1344398400&en=270623a68c9ea808&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|archive-date= August 10, 2017|access-date=August 24, 2008|url-status= dead}}

• In the 1974 adult film spoof Flesh Gordon, the character is renamed Dale Ardor and is portrayed by Cindy Hopkins, aka Suzanne Fields.{{cite web |url=http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2002-09-04/film/series-festivals/ |title=Series/Festivals – Movies – Riverfront Timespage 1 – Riverfront Times |date=2002-09-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604091145/http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2002-09-04/film/series-festivals/ |archive-date=2011-06-04 |access-date=2008-08-24 |url-status=dead }}

Notes

{{reflist}}

Bibliography

• {{cite book|last=Dunning|first= John |year=1998 |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-time Radio|publisher=Oxford University Press US|isbn=0-19-507678-8}}
• {{cite book|last =Terrace|first =Vincent|title=Crime Fighting Heroes of Television: Over 10,000 Facts from 151 Shows, 1949–2001|year=2002|publisher=McFarland & Company| isbn=0-7864-1395-6}}.

{{Flash Gordon}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arden, Dale}}

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1934

Category:Fictional reporters and correspondents

Category:Flash Gordon characters

Category:Female characters in comics

Category:Fictional feminists and women's rights activists